Senate Committee endorses Blair as new intel chief

[maddezmom]

Source: CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Senate Intelligence Committee voted Wednesday to send the nomination of retired Adm. Dennis Blair as the nation's chief intelligence officer to the full Senate for consideration.

By a unanimous vote, the committee gave its approval to President Barack Obama's choice to be the next director of national intelligence. The Senate is expected to confirm Blair before the end of the week.

"As our next director of national intelligence, he will ensure this country continues to play offense against the terrorists that threaten our way of life," said Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri, the committee's ranking Republican.

Blair is a retired four-star admiral who served 34 years in the Navy and ran the military's Pacific Command. He is credited with overseeing successful counterterrorism operations in the Philippines during that time.


He faced little opposition during his Senate confirmation hearing last week. Much of the questioning focused on Obama's decision to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center and revise the CIA's rules for detaining and interrogating suspected terrorists.



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